How much is too much light? It is very hot at my house today and the sun is in full splendor. Every thing is bathed in sun and bright light and the heat of it is in full force. It is so bright that I need to shield my eyes to be able to see anything, or put on my sunglasses.

This concept made me ponder on the directive from Jesus for us to be the salt and light of world and what that means to me. We know that light dispels darkness and darkness is the absence of light. We know this. We know that salt is a preservative and a seasoning and can make us thirsty; and it can also lose it's flavor if left to sit and become hard. When it becomes hard, it is useless and is thrown out into the street to clean the street - it becomes abrasive and tasteless.

We need enough light to see clearly and to be aware of our surroundings, for hidden things to be revealed. We need enough salt to add flavor or to preserve our food. We need to be careful of how we use our salt and be the proper kind of container that keeps it fresh and not allow it to harden and become tasteless. Wisdom dictates we know this and can judge accordingly.

I have seen well meaning Christians becoming so dominant and so aggressive in trying to share Jesus that they literally block Him out and blast others with their own counterfeit light. It's like some of those halogen headlights that we randomly encounter at night on the roads. It is startling to me and I have to look away because they are so bright I cannot see anything else - and it concerns me that I don't hit something or run off the road. And, I am sure we have all tasted food that has been so generously salted we cannot eat it and must spit it out, or food that has no flavor to the salt at all, or salt that is hardened in the container because it has not been taken care of and we cannot use it. We should share our faith in Christ softly and gently, giving light on ignorance and salt on flavorless life. Kindly and with purpose. Slowly so it can be digested and acclimated. We should not ignore that the Gospel of Christ shared is to be 'salty' enough to make the hearer thirsty for more. We also need to be mindful that we are to be a good container that God can use and not be abrasive. No one wants to be beaten over the head with a big Bible!

Light and salt/flavor are essential to life and most people will receive it gladly, without being forced, when it is given freely and gently. You are the example. You are the container for this salt and light and you are required to be mindful of it and to care for it.

Let us be about our Father's business by sharing His Good News about His Son.

Let us learn how to be the Light and Salt in the darkness, the flavorlessness and hardness of this world, in a manner that will draw people in and make them want more - to feel loved and welcomed. Let us remember that we cannot deal with too much brilliant light all at once or too much salt all at once. Others can't either.

So, how do you give out this light and salt to those around you? Are you demanding and aggressive? Are you hard and set in your religious ways? Are you judgmental or critical? Or are you careless and uninterested, just letting your light go out or go dim and your salt to go hard and useless?

God is good. God is kind and gentle and generous. God is the same for everyone, He has no favorites. God desires that all come to Him and receive His goodness and His Life. YOU are the Jesus that most people will ever see. They will judge HIM by how YOU represent Him, once they know you are Christian. Remember. people 'hear' body language and actions more than they 'hear' words.

[ Believers Are SaltandLight ] “You are the salt of the earth; but if the salt loses its flavor, how shall it be seasoned? It is then good for nothing but to be thrown out and trampled underfoot by men. You are the light of the world. A city that is set on a hill cannot be hidden. Nor do they light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a lampstand, and it gives light to all who are in the house. Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven."